Doris and Jim

May 30, 2008|By Jerry Nelson, Special to the Farm Forum

DURANGO, Colorado - If we«re lucky most of us will meet a few people during our lifetimes who are, well, just really neat. They are knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects, are witty conversationalists, and remain "cool" and "with it" regardless of the number of years that have passed under their wheels. My wife«s aunt and uncle, Doris and Jim Granflaten, are two such people. Doris and Jim grew up on farms on the eastern South Dakota prairie. As penniless newlyweds, they packed up their few possessions and headed for California. They had no real plans other than to try to find work. Within a 24 hours of arriving in the Golden State, Jim was hired as a surveyor«s assistant. This temporary position became a career; Jim eventually attained the position of Head Surveyor for the county of San Luis Obispo. Doris and Jim also started a business called Granny«s General Store, which sold antiques and antique reproductions. Whenever they talk about these and almost any other experience, they usually say something along the lines of, "We got to meet a lot of nice people and learn a lot of stuff. It was really fun." Some years ago, when retirement began to loom on their horizon, Doris and Jim turned their eyes to Durango. Why? Because Doris and Jim love trains and Durango has a deep railroading history, along with an active, honest-to- goodness steam-powered railroad, the Durango and Silverton Railroad. Jim and Doris have been busier in retirement than most people are at the peak of their careers. After building their retirement home - a comfy log house situated on a secluded forest lane - Jim began to assemble a railroad empire. Doris and Jim soon became railroad tycoons, albeit on a small scale. They own and operate several model railroads, one of which is so extensive it couldn«t be contained by their house and busted out into their yard. Doris and Jim have a booming freight business, railing acorns hither and yon for local squirrels. My wife and I recently had occasion to travel through the Durango area, so we stopped to visit the Granflatens for a few days. It was our first trip to the Rockies which, we discovered, are a very serious set of mountains. Also very rocky. Doris and Jim live at an altitude that allows them to experience temperatures below freezing, you can stand on their deck and watch water molecules assemble themselves into snowflakes. My wife and I took a ride on the Durango and Silverton Railroad, which is narrow gauge. This means that its tracks are only three feet apart. It also means that the train can travel on ledges that are so narrow they would make a mountain goat faint. Jim and Doris met us in Silverton and took us on a jeepride to see some of the now-abandoned mines that gave the town its name. We wound our way up the mountain to the ghost town of Animas Forks, which sits some 11,200 feet above sea level. Even though it was the last week of May, a good eight feet of snow remained in Animas Forks. Jim remarked that up in the high country, spring generally begins about August first. Summer, he said, ends at about the first of September. The rock-and-gravel path we took up to Animas Forks was a former railroad grade - narrow gauge, of course. This meant that the path was barely wide enough for a jeep. It also meant that there were no guard rails guarding us from some very high and very sheer drop-offs. I now know where the phrase "purple mountains majesty" comes from. It arises from the fact that your hand turns purple from gripping the jeep«s door handle while driving up said mountain. Which reminds me: I owe Doris and Jim a new door handle, seeing as how I left permanent finger-shaped dents in their old one. As Jim drove us higher and higher up the mountain - an eagle soaring in the canyon below was wearing an oxygen mask - he regaled us with lore regarding the local silver mining industry. He also spoke of the difficulties he and a group of fellow railroad enthusiasts encountered during the past five years as they restored the 315, a dilapidated 1895 steam locomotive, back to running condition. After a couple of days with Doris and Jim we had to bid them adieu. As we drove away, my wife, wiping away a tear, asked, "Did you have a good visit?" "Let me put it this way," I replied. "I got to visit some nice people and learn a lot of stuff. It was really fun." If you'd like to contact Jerry to do some public speaking or just to register your comments, you can email him at: jjpcnels@itctel.com